“Fortunately, none of the residents sent money or provided any personal information” to the caller, Dearth said.

Dearth said what concerns the department is that many of the residents who received the calls had not heard of the scams, despite increased awareness efforts and publicity.

Those who reported the calls said they found a message on their answering machines. Dearth said the messages told residents to “call back right away,” “this is your second notice” or “immediate action is needed on your part.”

“Residents who thought it was a scam did not call back,” Dearth said. “Those that were unaware called the number back. In one case, the person threatened to kill the resident if they did not pay the money owed. The resident then hung up.”

The scammers easily “spoof” caller IDs to make the calls appear legitimate, Dearth said. On the calls, the caller ID read “IRS” and “DC” with the Washington, D.C, area code of 202.

In a statement, the IRS said it “will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card, or prepaid card information over the phone.”